Pitch & Putt Ireland2025 National Gents JUNIOR Matchplay Preview
We continue our Matchplay previews today with our Gents Junior Section with thanks to John Manning:
Aidan Larkin and 2023 Tullamore Scratch Cup runner-up Noel Scully will be the host club standard bearers in the National Gents Junior Matchplay championship.
Larkin faces Dan Ahern (Crosshaven), a Munster Inter-County runner-up with Cork last year. Scully must tackle Darragh O’Brien (Laytown). The winner of that one will play the survivor from the Shortgrass County derby, involving 2025 Kildare Matchplay runner-up John Kelly (Athgarvan) and Prosperous member Gavin Craig.
Three Erry representatives will be hoping to survive the early rounds at neighbouring Tullamore and make it through to Erry on Bank Holiday Monday. First of that trio into action is Ger Walsh, who has been handed a tussle with 2023 Laytown Scratch Cup winner Jerome Hodgins (Laytown).
2024 Offaly Junior Strokeplay kingpin Declan Kelly (Erry) tackles Kilbeggan’s Brendan Clarke, who will also be very familiar with the Tullamore layout. George Robbins (Erry) will hope to bring the form that carried him to the 2024 Leinster Junior Matchplay final into his encounter with Hillview’s Haydn Cashman.
2024 Munster Matchplay champion Paul Walsh will have his eye on a place in the first quarter-final but the Collins man is initially challenged by Ardnacrusha’s Brian Dillon, a bronze medallist in the 2019 National Strokeplay championship.
Others to watch in the first quarter could be 2023 Leinster Matchplay semi-finalist Rob Middleton (Gowran) who is challenged by Richard Tinley (Killineer).
A couple of Fermoy’s 2023 National Inter-Club winning sextet will be confident of making their presence felt in the top half of the draw. Padraig Hannon must first deal with 2019 Cork Matchplay runner-up Barry O’Flynn (St. Anne’s). William Fitzgerald’s first round opponent is Tralee’s Reece Sugrue, the 2024 Munster Junior B Stokeplay champion.
If the two Fermoy men survive that far, they would meet in the second quarter-final.
The field includes a couple of Dublin players with proven pedigree. The capital’s 2023 Matchplay champion Alan Doyle (Lucan) plays ESB’s Niall Dwane while Doyle’s clubmate Stephen Needham, 2018 Dublin Strokeplay winner, meets Barry Drohan (Tramore).
The draw has thrown up a possible humdinger in the last match out, which features Bagenalstown’s Patrick O’Neill (who came third in the 2024 National Junior B Strokeplay championship) and 2022 National Mixed Foursomes winner Derek Shelly (Larkspur Park).
Thanks to John for the preview and Best of luck Gents
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